Gas prices keep rising, especially in New York; How you can save at the pump
NEW YORK (WABC) -- For the seventh straight week, gas prices across the country are higher than the week before, especially in New York which saw the biggest jump.
The national average for a gallon of gas is $3.47, up almost one dollar from this time last year.
"They're outrageous," Michael Mangi, of Blue Point, said of the prices at the pump.
According to AAA, in New York the average cost per gallon is $3.68, in New Jersey it's $3.59 and in Connecticut it's $3.62.
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said gas prices right now are the highest they've been since the summer of 2014.
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De Haan explained that gas prices typically increase this time of year as we head into spring, but he said that the tension at the Russian-Ukrainian border is exacerbating the trend.
De Haan said if Russia, the second largest oil producer in the world, invades Ukraine, we should expect to see gas prices increase dramatically.
Joe Cuba, of Huntington Bay, said the high gas prices are hitting him hard and it's costing him now more than $150 to fill up his truck.
"Usually at half, I fill it up, so I don't have to feel it all the time," Cuba said.
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Joann Aruanno, of Melville, said it's times like these that she's happy she has a hybrid car.
"We need it," she said. "We need gas, but it's way too high the prices."
De Haan said in cities and large suburban areas, like the New York metropolitan area, gas prices can vary dramatically from neighborhood to neighborhood.
"Shop around before you fill up and find a station that has a lower price," he said.
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